clipless or flat pedals

[so solid crew]

Good Morning All,
thanks for your replies. I am going to try some dual sided pedals. I have rode clipless for a while on the roads & am quite competent & comfortable with them. its the more off road sections of certain bridleways that make me uncomfortable. also wouldn't want to be clipped in on rides with my 7yr old son & 9yr old daughter...very unpredictable 🤣

 

[si_c]

Good Morning All,
thanks for your replies. I am going to try some dual sided pedals. I have rode clipless for a while on the roads & am quite competent & comfortable with them. its the more off road sections of certain bridleways that make me uncomfortable. also wouldn't want to be clipped in on rides with my 7yr old son & 9yr old daughter...very unpredictable 🤣

I found having dual sided pedals gave the best of both worlds for the most part.

 

[vickster]

I found having dual sided pedals gave the best of both worlds for the most part.

For me the worst of both, as the wretched things were always hanging the wrong way round regardless of which shoes I was wearing!!

 

[si_c]

For me the worst of both, as the wretched things were always hanging the wrong way round regardless of which shoes I was wearing!!

Yeah that is a downside I found when wearing trainers but they are always clip side up for me as the flat side is heavier and I can put up with it when wearing regular shoes I just need to remember to flip the pedal.

 

[so solid crew]

i guess its worth a try to see how i get on. i have a spare set of flat mtb pedals too so i'll have all options covered.

 

[figbat]

I have Shimano PD-M320 on a couple of bikes - these are dual-sided but in truth I rarely use the flat side. I have SPDs on all of my large wheel bikes (that's 6 in total - road, gravel and MTB). I tried flats for a while on one MTB because it seemed to be what people did but I just find SPDs more confidence inspiring so changed them. On one bike I do have PD-M520 but with a plastic adaptor clipped in one side to provide a flat surface but also reflectors (it's my year-round commuting bike).

 

[fair weather cyclist]

Hi All,

I have recently changed to gravel tyres on my cube cross race pro. I have been doing a mixture of road, bridleway & canal path rides. should I switch to flat pedals from clipless? alternatively can anyone recommend any adaptors so I can stay clipless for road rides?

many thanks 👍

Try clipless on the right pedal and flat on the left. See which one feels better

 

[Dale 1956]

I have use both on my bicycle for the most part I love the XTR Mountain clipless pedals the most.I never did have any trouble learning to use them well maybe one time I almost could not unclip quick but I did not go down :-) but that was back in 2009.I'm redoing my touring bicycle with new brakes and going back to my clipless pedals again the pedals are not cheap but man the sidi shoes cost a lot but worth it to me.

 

[Jimmy_dee]

As others said - just make sure you get the right clipless if you go down that route! I made the mistake of copying the pros when I first tried, and couldn't adjust the resistance. So spent weeks falling over. Can't go wrong with Shimano though, maybe don't try crankbrothers to start.

 

[harlechjoe]

I agree with the previous advice for you to consider a double sided pedal. A year or so ago I cycled alongside the Grand Union Canal from Birmingham to London using the flat side of double sided pedals. On more than one occasion being able to quickly place my foot on the ground to prevent falling into the canal. If I was clipped in there would have been a risk of serious injury or drowning. My story of cycling along the Grand Union Tow Path can be read at www.harlechjoe.wordpress.com (click May 2017 on the menu bar) and hope my experience of that adventure helps to keep you safe.